Smitten
by duchessjohanna
Summary: The girl in the shadows, whose life has been destroyed by the hunger games. The timid boy everyone loves. Love seems likely, but there's only one problem. And that problem is going to determine their life or their death. Read and review please. Sorry about the lack of paragraphs...it's my first story so cut me some slack. thanks! :)
1. Chapter 1

My breathing slowed but my heart raced as I sat beneath the leaves motionless as a bloodthirsty career was right next to me, knife in hand, and if found, I would be an easy kill. The night is young, and the careers have split up to find the rest of the players to kill them. So far, I've heard the cannon go off three times. And, if I wasn't careful I wouldn't live to hear it go off the fourth time. The careers name is Courtney, a snobby girl from district 1. Her hair is blonde but in her state now, she is dirty and not as glamorous as she once was back in her district. Careers disgust me. A leaf cracks from beneath me and I see her turn around and survey the area around her. My eyes close as I pray that she didn't know I was there. I can feel myself tremble. I see her eyes through the branches and we make eye contact. She pounces on top of me in a blink of an eye. I know it's over. But, I fight anyway. "Stay still!" She commands me but I won't obey her. I kick and kick and kick until I'm tired out, but she fights on. "Please, Courtney," I cry out as I see her reach for her blade. I'm pinned to the ground and I can feel the dirt around my fingers. "You can't get out of this! You're just a filthy district 12 nobody. Nobody loves you, why should you care if you live or die; it'll be the same practically! You see, Lanie, or whatever your name is, this may be called the hunger games, but it'll never be just a game for the elites. Don't ever think you can play a game with elites." I spit in her face. "You're no elite, you're a snobby pathetic desperate bitch whose whole life has been centered on the day you enter this arena. You may be a career, but your worthless; nothing but another centerpiece in these games and if you haven't realized that, you're even more pathetic than I thought." I saw her face contort and redden and I prepared to die. "Pathetic? Who's the one on the ground about to die? Not me, you. So sit still bitch while I let the world see what they've been wanting to; you're death." "Kill me, Courtney, do it. But, you won't win these games. You'll die, I promise that." I kick her in the groin one last time for good measure. She's had enough and I can see that in her eyes. "I think this conversation is over." She brings the knife up and slams it into my chest.

"Ahhhhh!" I scream as I sit up in my bed. I keep on screaming until my older brother rushes into the room switching on the lights in an eye blink. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" I breathe in and out quickly not able to answer his questions immediately. "I'm fine, I just had a really bad nightmare," I say putting special emphasis on the "really." "What was it about kiddo?" He asks sitting on the edge of my bed. I rub my hand on my head and say, "I was in the games and a career named Courtney found me and killed me. I was so scared because it seemed so real." He came over to me and hugged me. "You're safe kiddo, no one's gonna hurt you." I know he's lying; even he can't save me from the games if I'm reaped. But, I humor him. "Thank you." "You should get some rest kiddo, tomorrow's the big day." My brother is 18 and has gone through almost 7 reapings and has had his name put in almost 70 times one year in order to get us extra food. Luckily, he wasn't picked. My best friend was reaped when she was 13 years old. She died on the fourth day and didn't kill anyone. Being a humanitarian didn't help her in the games. I saw her die to the hands of a career girl named Courtney on live television. Seeing her lifeless body killed me. I know a part of me is gone. I can feel the emptiness. Sometimes, I know Yolanda's around me. When I'm happy, I know she's there. Her presence put a smile on everyone's face. She was a favorite in the games and had many sponsors, Caesar even predicted she would go far in the games, but she didn't. I tried to volunteer for her but David stopped me. We're just puppets to them. We're nothing. Sometimes I wonder if people even realize that. "Ok, night David." As he exits the room he gives me a warm smile and says, "Night, kiddo." My parents passed away at a young age. If David hadn't stepped up, I don't think we would have made it through. He has helped me so much and I owe him a lot. He works in the mines to earn what little money we have. I feel my eyes flutter shut gently and I can feel my heartbeat become slower as I relax myself after my recent nightmare. I try to convince myself that the reaping will just be another day, but I know it isn't and it will never be.

I woke up early the next morning as the bright sun shined through my window gleaming in my eyes. Slowly, I began to rise. Today was the day that everyone in Panem has feared and anxiously awaited. I know right now, in the capitol, the clown people are celebrating and are centering around their televisions watching as Ceasar Filickerman begins the Games coverage. I walk out of my room and into our tiny kitchen that is a room away from mine. David is brewing himself some coffee from some coffee beans he bought at the market. They are expensive, but he buys them smartly. "Hey, good morning!" He sounds enthusiastic, probably because today is the first time in 7 years his name won't be in that bowl. But, deep inside of him, he knows my name is, and I have a chance. "Good morning," I answer back in a small voice nibbling at a piece of stale bread that was in a basket in the middle of our table. "So, you nervous?" He asks me. I shrug my shoulders. I am, but I could never really admit that, but I'm pretty sure he knows that I am. "Yeah, same old same old, you'd think they'd get tired of watching kids die on television." This made me shiver. 'You would think that…it's sick entertainment if you ask me." "Well, I think if you'd ask all the districts, the majority would agree, with an exception of the career ones." I made a face at the thought of the careers. One is always the victor and they sicken me. They live for the games. Their entire existence is about the games, they consider it an honor to go. Almost always, someone volunteers. I'd be pretty happy if I lived in one of those districts. That way I'd have less of a chance of going in to the arena. Someone would just volunteer each year. In district 12, it's extremely rare for someone to volunteer. Our district is an underdog in the games. We haven't had a victor in 23 years. Yep, that's sad. The capitol has taken so many kids' lives. It's so sad and I cry about it a lot. Especially since one of those kids was my best friend in the entire world.

"So, it's almost 7:00, we have to be there by 8 so you should get ready." David told me this and reluctantly I pushed my chair away from the table and walked to my bedroom where I had laid out my outfit. I was going to wear a beige dress with a collar, white tights, black flats and my hair in a high pony tail with a ribbon. It was customary to wear nice clothing the day of the reaping. When I was done dressing and getting ready it was almost 8 so David and I began to walk to the square where the reaping would be held. Hundreds of kids already were in the lines according to age group. "I'll be right on the side of the robes over there, just think once it's done, it's over for a whole another year." David tells me. I swallow the lump in my throat and get in line where the people are asking for names and taking fingerprints. I'm next in line and the woman quickly pricks my finger and takes a sample of my blood and puts it into a small tube. She takes my name and I am placed between the ropes about 20 feet from the stage. A woman with lime green hair, a hot pink pant suit, and 9 inch electric blue high heel platforms scurries onto the stage as daintily as possible. By this time, everyone is situated in their areas. There are two large bowls in front of her. In the one, my name is in it 10 times. There are a lot of slips, so maybe the odds are ever in my favor. She smiles at the crowd and grabs the microphone. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome, to the 103rd Hunger games!" she pauses for applause but it doesn't come. She smiles again, "tough crowd, well nonetheless, let's get down to business. Ladies first, I always say." She reaches her hand into the bowl on the right and I can feel my body numb. She picks one. It could be mine, it could be Mariah down the street, or Gigi that lives in an old shack near the square. "And the lucky girl who will represent district 12 in this year's hunger games is…" she pauses for effect "Amanda Johnson." My heart sinks to the ground as I watch as my best friend's sister slowly makes her way to the stage. I hear her mother in hysterics. "Oh my god, not my other baby, please, please somebody, she's only 11! God, take me instead please, have mercy!" Everyone can hear her. And by now, you can hear the faint sobs coming from poor Amanda's mouth. I have to do something, I decide. Yolanda's mother lost enough when she lost her daughter she doesn't deserve to lose her other one too. I move to the middle isle and declare loudly so they can hear me. "No, wait, I volunteer, take me." David yells out, "No, Lanie! You can't, stop it!" I ignore him as the peacekeepers tug on my arms and lead me to the stage where the crazily dressed woman addresses me. "And what is your name, beautiful?" I swallow and say in a proud voice, "Magdalena, but you all will know me as Lanie." I see Amanda as she is reunited with her mother and I know I did the right thing. David is being held back by the peacekeepers as he tries to get over the ropes to get me. I grab the mic from the woman and say, "David, stop, I have to do this, this isn't about me. Please, stop it." He looks into my eyes from across the roped area and then looks away and I see tears well in his eyes. I apologize to the woman from taking the mic and she continues her speech. But, not before Amanda stands on her Mother's shoulders and gives me the district 12 solute as a thank you. I see her mother do this as well and at this point I can feel my eyes welling up with tears. As they did this, the rest of the audience did as well. I feel a sense of love around me and for a moment, I feel like I will be alright. "Now, let us move on to the lucky boy who will be representing district 12." She reaches her hand into the bowl adjacent to the girls' one. "Shane Grey." I gasp at this. I never really knew this boy, but I knew he was the same age as me and was the boy all the girls fawned over. I heard them beg for someone to volunteer but no one did. Yes, I admit he was very handsome. His swooping blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes were enough to make anyone melt, even me. He was strong, and I could tell he would go far in the games. We shake hands as he goes up on stage. His handshake is firm yet has a sense of softness. His face is solemn, and I'm sure that if we weren't in front of the entire district he would let the tears in his eyes stream down his gorgeous face. He was always very smart in school. He never really wanted anything to do with the girls that threw themselves at him, and for this, I admired him. "And there you have it, the two tributes for district 12, for the 103rd hunger Games." The crowd remains silent.


	2. Chapter 2

After the reaping, we are taken back to the administrations building, a place I've been only once in my entire life. We take the elevator and are separated in separate rooms where we will receive three visitors. The peacekeeper brings in my first visitor, which is naturally, my brother. "5 minutes," The peacekeeper tells us and we nod in understanding. David sits down across from me and buries his face in his hands. He then sits up and stars at me. "Why? I just really want to know why you did this." "I had to David." "No, you didn't!" "Yes, I did! Yolanda died in those games, how can I let her mother watch as her only other child dies too? I know Yolanda is proud of me, I know she is. And, that's all I really care about." He sighs. "Look, I know you are still really upset about Yolanda, but this wasn't the right way to grieve." "I'm done grieving, David, I think a part of me wanted this to happen. At least I'll be able to see the Capitol before I die, whereas if I stay here, I'll never see it." "Well, what's done is done, you're going to go into that arena. Don't become too close with anybody. But, do get some allies, they'll help you. Try to seem likeable so you get some sponsers. Do whatever you have to do to survive, Lanie." I nod my head. We hug. "I love you, Lanie, you be careful, I have faith in you." "I love you too, David." The peacekeeper takes him away and my next visitor is Yolanda's mother. She looks so much like her. She says nothing at first and sits across from me. "Thank you,: she whispers. "You don't have to thank me, you went through enough, I owe it to Yolanda." She cries. "I just don't know if I could've beared seeing Amanda go into that arena. But, I don't think I can bear to see you go either." She embraces me. I hug her back and say, "I know Yolanda is with you, I know she is. Think about her, because she's there." She pulls out of the hug and nods. "Yes, I know she is." "Don't let her go, she still needs you." "Yes, I know." "You have to be strong, please, for me, for Amanda, for Yolanda." "I will, but you need to be too." "I am, and I will be, I promise." "Ok, then." She gets up and leaves. My next visitor is a surprise. Her name's Samantha and she and I have never gotten along too well. "Hello." She says and takes a seat across from me. "Hi," I answer back. "Not to be rude Sammy, but why are you here?" "Well, I just thought I'd come to tell you goodbye first of all, and that to stay away from Shane." "Excuse me?" "You heard me. He's mine, you know." "Sorry, I do not really understand." "Do I have to spell it out for you? You stay away from him." "Whatever, Samantha, we all know you're just really jealous of me." She narrows her eyes at me. "You just watch out, you hear." "too doo loo, Sammy," She leaves.

The clown ladies name is Mimi. I just found that out. Shane and I are taken to our separate bedrooms for tonight. Tomorrow, we will begin our journey to the capitol, and that's where we'll meet our mentor. Shane hasn't said much to me yet, probably because we haven't seen each other really except for earlier today on the stage. My days are numbered, I am aware of this. This realization hits me as I lay in my bed at 12:03 am. The truth is harsh, especially when your life is being endangered. I know I won't win, but if anyone else was to win, I would want it to be my fellow district mate. I fall asleep and have a dream that I'm in a meadow. No peacekeepers, no capitol, no anything. It's just me, and the meadow, and my best friend Yolanda.

"Are you nervous?" she asks me. "I mean, a little bit, but I'll have to face death sooner or later." I'm picking some flowers and she's braiding my hair. "Death isn't that bad, you know? It's actually a beautiful thing. It hurts for a while, but then, you feel really light." "Well, at least I'll have that to look forward to." "you know, you shouldn't count yourself out of the games just yet." "and why is that?" "Because you're a likable person which will not only get you sponsors but allies as well, plus you're pretty smart and tough." "Thanks." "You did a very brave thing, Lanie." "I don't feel very brave." "you saved my Amanda, and for that, I'm so thankful." "She was too young, plus I don't think I could've beared seeing your mother loose her only other child." "what you did will also get you sponsors; the capitol loves a hero." "I hope so."

I woke up to Mimi barging n my room and shaking me. "Wake up! The train leaves in an hour." "what an hour? But, it's only 5:30 in the morning." "They want to get an early start." "Ok, I'll be ready in 20 min." She leaves my room and I walk into the bathroom. The , "shower," thingy is confusing. I've never seen one before. It's actually really cool. The water comes right out of this thing that sits above you as you stand in the tub. It's quite useful. As I step out of the shower dryers blow at me from every direction and dry me almost instantly. It stuns me and I almost find myself falling backward but I'm able to stop myself. It turns out Mimi left me an outfit that wasn't overly colorful. It was a simple beigh skirt with a tight black t-shirt. I let my curly dark brown hair settle around my shoulders. The peacekeepers led me to the train station where Mimi and Shane were waiting for me. "Well, look at you, you look darling, but just wait till your stylist team gets a hold of you, you're going to look like a capitol native." My eyes bulge at this. I'm going to look like one of those freakazoids? They might as well through me in the arena now. We board the train and Mimi gives a brief tour. After all, it is going to be our home for the next week. A week of relaxing will be nice. Sure, my mind will be emerged in the thought of the games, but I'd rather be able to sit for a while than jump into the arena. She shows us the dining car first. A large table almost the length of the entire car sits in the center. It's set up with fine china, wine glasses, and utensils. A gorgeous chandelier hangs from the ceiling and all I can think is that I could get used to this luxury. The chairs are made of fine cherry wood and the cushions are red velvet. I look over at my fellow tribute and can see his jaw open as he scans the room. "A bit old-fashioned, but I think it will do," Mimi says as she touches the table delicately. Shane and I exchange a common look in agreement that Mimi is indeed insane. Well, what can you expect form a capitol native?

She then takes us to our bedrooms. Mine is very modern looking. It's very nice and I almost find myself liking it. But, I know too well than to actually do that. This is property from the Capitol, and I despise the Capitol, remember? A bathroom that resembled the one in the Justice building today is connected to my bedroom. It has the same technology that that one did. "Finding everything alright, there miss. Lanie?" I turn to see Mimi standing at the doorway. I nod. "Yes, it's fine." "Well, I'm glad. We're serving dinner in the dining car in a few minutes. There you can get to know us better and your tribute more." I nod and say, "I'll be there." She smiles and exits the room. Mimi doesn't seem too bad, for a capitol person. Of course, I'm sure she finds the games a celebration like any other Capitol person. I find it funny how the children of the Capitol don't have to worry about ever being put into the games. They must live such worry free lives. Food magically appears on their tables and water comes out of pipes with the push of a button. I remember times when I had to trade some of my home grown herbs for food scraps just to get by. The Hob always provided this for me. I think one of the things I'll miss the most, is walking down the dirt path each morning down tot eh Hob and talking with my fellow district members. We shared poverty and much more. Because of this, I think we became a community. Well, we had to be, we depended on each other in so many ways. And now, I'll have to depend on them more than ever.


	3. Chapter 3

. **Author's note: Hi guys! So, this is the third chapter of smitten. I hope you guys like it. Yes, I realize some of the characters resemble the ones from the original book, but I did not mean to do that, I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not going to try to come up with a quirky saying that says I don't own the hunger games, because that would be dumb. You people know I don't own the Hunger Games, although I wish I did. Hunger games is owned by Suzanne Collins. **

I walk out of the room and make my way to the dining car. I see Mimi, Shane, and an older woman situated at the one end of the table. Mimi was eating something purple with a fork. It looked like some weird vegetable. I've never seen anything like it before. Shane had a pile full of food on his plate. The older woman had a bowl full of lamb stew with dried plums. It looked pretty good. Mimi looks up and sees me. She then taps the old woman and she looks up at me.

"Lanie, this is Mrs. Rita, she was the victor for the hunger games years and years ago." The woman stands and walks to me. She uses a cane that is wooden and nicely engraved with different patterns. She smiles at me warmly.

"Hi, nice to meet you." I say to her.

"Nice to meet you as well dear." We sit, talk, strategize, and best of all, eat. I've been hungry for as long as I could remember in my life. I figure, I'm going to die anyway, might as well splurge and enjoy while I can.

"So, Mrs. Rita, when you won the games, what was the theme of the arena?" Shane asks. "

Well, when I was in the games, it was an artic theme. We all were in the open, not a lot of places to camp out. Most of the tributes died of starvation because the food sources were so scarce. I, however, found myself an area where not only was there fresh water, but a whole school of fish. I survived, but barely, the cold temperatures almost wiped me out. I killed a lot of people, because well, I had to. It's the worst thing I've ever done in my life, and I regret it all the time. I watched as they died at my hands. I swore to myself that I'd never get involved with the games again, but I told myself if I can help someone to survive the games then gosh darn it I'm going to do it. My advice is to get some allies. I had a hell of a time surviving on my own. The catch though, is not to become attached, to anybody."

Her face is solemn and we can tell this is very serious. The tone of voice she is using is demanding. It's not an option, it's a command. "You also need to get to know the landscape as much as you can. One can be an excellent fighter, but if they have no survival skills, they'll die easily. I saw this happen to at least 3 careers. Don't be afraid to kill. This isn't a game, although it technically is in the name. You need to be ruthless. Don't let anyone pull on your heart strings. You are fighting for your life and if you become soft, you won't survive, I guarantee it."

"Did you have a lot of sponsors?" I get the courage to ask.

"No, not many at all. You can't depend on them. But, try to get as many as possible. They do help out in life or death situations. One care package can determine your life."

We continue to eat and Rita shares some valuable insight with us. I try to soak up as much information as I can. For all I know, it could be the difference of my life or my death. I know I don't have a good chance in winning the games, but I want to at least try. We finish dinner and I go into the car that contains a television and some furniture. Shane is also in there. He's watching the coverage of the games. Caesar is showing the reapings of the day.

"Hey." I say to him.

"Hi," he responds emotionlessly. I take a seat in the chair next to the couch where he sits. There is awkwardness between us, and we both can feel it. I decide to break the ice. "Are you nervous?" He looks at me then turns his head back to the screen.

"Yes, I am. My life is going to end soon, of course I'm nervous."

"I mean, it's not like you don't have a chance. The careers will probably pick up on you right away." Again, he turns to me, his blonde hair lying messily in his face.

"I'd never become a career. They're heartless people. At least I can die saying I had a heart in this world." I bite my lip nervously as I watch district 3 appear on the screen. Two careers, no doubt, appear on the screen. They volunteered, like always. The girl has platinum blonde hair and is tall and very skinny. The boy has dark almost jet black hair and has muscles that bulk through his shirt.

"Not even if you had a chance to survive?"

"No, because they'd kill me without a second thought if I was or wasn't a part of their gang. Why do you care anyway?"

"Well, because I know I have no chance to survive this thing, so I figure, if anyone else should win, it should be you." His head drops to the ground.

"Don't say that." He says.

"Why not?" I ask demandingly.

"This whole thing, the whole games, they make me want to jump off this train and die. In fact, if the windows weren't barred, I think that's what I would do. And I hate when you say you don't have a chance in this. I've seen you in school fights; you can hold your own."

I blush at the mention of the fights I used to get into at school. I was provoked of course, but I always finished the job right.

"Samantha deserved it." I plead. "Yeah, I definitely agree." He says smirking. "You know she has the most stockerish crush on you, right?"

He chuckles and rubs the back of his head and says, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I found that out when she would wait for me afterschool to walk me home every single day."

I had to laugh at this. "Every single day? Wow, that seems a little pathetic if you ask me but if she's your girlfriend, whatever."

"Trust me she is not my girlfriend. I don't have one."

"Oh, sorry." I apologize for my rudeness.

"Nah, it's cool."

"Oh, it's our district, turn it up!" I say as I see district 12 appear on the screen.

"And today was a very interesting day for district 12. It turns out this heroic teen saves this little girl from the games by volunteering; something we haven't seen for a long time, right Denise?" He turns to a boldly dressed woman next to him.

"Yes, indeed Caesar, it seems a girl named Magdalena, or Lanie as she is called, volunteered when a girl the age of only 11 was chosen as the girl tribute. Now rumor has it, that this little girl was the baby sister of Lanie's best friend who was killed in the hunger games three years ago. Nobody can be sure if this is in fact correct or not, but it was one heroic act by Magdalena Wester."

"Heroic indeed, Denise, and let's not forget about our boy tribute. Shane Grey was reaped early this morning after the whole fiasco with Lanie. He is seen here shaking hands with his fellow tribute. Could a romance spark between the two? Only time can tell. Until then, I am Caesar Flickerman."

"And I am Denis Robinson."

"Happy hunger games and may the odds be ever in your favor." Caesar closes out the show. Shane clicks the television off. The heat in my cheeks from Caesar's last comment still remains. Shane's cheeks are red as well. He quickly turns off the television.

"Ugh, I hate how they made a big deal about me volunteering." I said.

"Why? You'll get tons of sponsors for that." He rebutted.

"No, they're gonna hate me because when the parade starts I'm going to be standing there comatose like nothing is happening.

He chuckles a bit. "I think we'll become used to the idea of dying soon enough." He says standing and twisting, stretching himself.

"Well, I don't think I will." I admit. "I won't be able to just be ok about dying and not being able to stop it. Sure, of course I know what's coming, but I don't want to really embrace it in any way."

"True, it's going to be hard. Hey, how come you never talked that much in school, we barely knew each other." My cheeks rise with warmth as I know he actually recognized me in school. Shane, the boy all the girls loved, noticed me. Inside, I giggled.

"Well, everyone was so grouped, I never really found a place I wanted to be. I wasn't wanted with the populars like you. And, the nerds didn't really accept me either. I was what you call the average kid, I guess, who was stuck in the middle of school drama."

"I wasn't popular by choice, you know. I actually preferred to be alone, but everyone swarmed me like I was some kind of show." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "I suppose now, I am kind of a show, but you get my point."

I laugh at the irony. "Yeah, trust me; I know what you're talking about. I saw it all the time. You would try to eat your lunch and Samantha and her group would show up. Why didn't you just tell them to go away?" I found the courage to ask. I was going to die anyway, what did I really have to lose?"

He sighed and said, "It's complicated Lanie." I swear my heart melted as he said my name. "Like for instance I knew she didn't have a lot and would never really do anything with her life, so I tried to be nice to her." I nodded at his comment. Shane was very nice. I found him very attractive and very caring for others. This, of course would not help him in the games. But, it helped him back in district 12 that is for sure. His good looks would earn him many sponsors in the games. He stood up.

"I'm going to go to bed, this whole day has me beat," He said.

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it really has been."

My face is still red with my blush from Caesar's previous comment. Oh, god, I wonder what he's going to ask me in my interview.

**Author's note: So what did you think? It was getting pretty steamy with our two beloved tributes. Will sparks fly as the games progress? Only time can tell! So, go review and tell me what you think. Any requests for the story line? Want a character put in? I will try to update soon! But, I need to get some reviews from you! Please, thank you, and goodbye!**


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